This winter threatens to be “bitterly cold,” with below-average temperatures in two-thirds of the country. That’s if you believe the folksy — but often, they claim, accurate — Farmers’ Almanac.

The almost 200-year-old almanac again comes out Monday, and the AP reports it’s predicting a harsh winter, one that could even bring a blizzard to the first outdoor Superbowl in years.

“We’re using a very strong four-letter word to describe this winter, which is C-O-L-D. It’s going to be very cold,” managing editor Sandi Duncan said.

The Almanac is also describing the coming winter as “piercing cold” and “biting cold.”

The Farmers’ Almanac predictions are based on the same analysis of sunspots and tidal action, largely ignored by modern meteorologists, that the publication has used since its first issue, in 1818. The publication claims it’s correct 80 percent of the time.

its going to be -20f on Monday in chicago with a high of -5f. It's been between -10f to 25f degrees nearly every day since late october. Thats three months of bitter cold winter and its not even mid-january. I think they've nailed it this winter.

"The Farmer's Almanac" making these predictions should not be confused with the older and original "Old Farmer's Almanac" (established in 1792), whose weather predictions are generally more often cited by media sources. The "Old Farmers Almanac" also predicts a colder than average winter across much of the continental United States, but not the "bitterly cold" conditions described in the article above. Of note, the "Old Farmers Almanac" also predicts a hotter than average summer in 2014 throughout most of the United States.

Don't count the cold till you get it. This summer, the OFA predicted my area would be cooler then normal and have normal precipitation. Instead, it's been about 5 degrees above normal and so dry the weeds are dying. We'll burn up at this rate.

NOOOO! As an Atlanta resident who has been dealing with record lows and record amounts of rain all summer, all I wanted was a single mild or normal season this year! So, I say, "no thank you, cold winter."

I swear, moving to the Arizona desert has never been more tempting in my life... this southern girl does not love the white stuff! (there's one single reason I won't move farther north than Atlanta - I don't like cold)

Ha Ha Ha love it when someone post comments as a troll just to get a response i often wounder if the people responding to post like yours realize that they have been hooked and dragged into the net after they hit the send button

@rjespud For years people like you have been telling the global warming fanatics that the problem is local to North America and that Europe, especially eastern Europe was getting hit with record cold. This winter will be their turn to quote you out of context. Enjoy!

@rjespud It's the meandering jet stream - creating anomalies of weather. Theoretically, the jet stream is changing, which causes extremes of weather. Think of it as a changing river of air that is losing its course. There are many factors, so this is the simplified hypothesis, as best an answer I can give while trying to understand it myself. The jet stream (again theoretically) is repositioning itself due to global warming. So, these could be the cogs that are indicative of the bigger change occurring.

@RichardJorgensen@rjespud Just because Al Gore and other people have made a business out of it doesn't mean climate change doesn't happen or isn't happening. There are people in this country that deserve to go to prison over dealings with a lot more money than that man. Oh no, he made money in a capitalistic economy. That's the whole point.